CAPITAL BIBLE CHURCH April 5, How to Prepare for Easter Luke 19:28 44; Matt. 21:1 11

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1 CAPITAL BIBLE CHURCH April 5, 2009 SERMON NOTES PASTOR BILL HAKEN How to Prepare for Easter Luke 19:28 44; Matt. 21:1 11 Intro: Often called the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday. It also begins the week leading up to Easter. 1. Do what Jesus says (Luke 19:29-40) As Jesus approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, Why are you untying it? tell him, The Lord needs it. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: Say to the Daughter of Zion, See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Jesus sent two of his disciples on a strange little mission. He said, Go to this little village up the road, untie the colt you ll find, and bring it to me. Huh? Now, the Bible doesn t tell us which two went. Think it was Peter and Andrew? James and John? We don t know. The Bible also doesn t tell us what they talked about on the way. But if it had been me, I d have probably been saying, You really think we should just untie the colt and take it? You think the Master knows the owner? You think this is a test of some kind? You really think they ll just let us walk off with their colt? What if somebody takes a swing at us? Jesus didn t say what we should do if somebody takes a swing at us! You see, we tend to read the Bible, God s Word, like a play, as if all the characters knew the script. But they didn t. No more than you or I do. But those disciples, whoever they were, did what Jesus said. The disciples did The Bible says:

2 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, What are you doing, untying that colt? They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. They didn t know how it was gonna turn out, but they simply did what Jesus said to do. And look at the result. Their simple obedience brought glory to God. The Bible says, When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! (Matthew 21:1-9, Mark 11:1-7, Luke 19:29-38, John 12:12-16). The streets erupted with the sounds of praise, singing and shouting... Hosanna, save us, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest. The people were shouting his praises, spreading his glory all over that place until-- Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, Teacher, rebuke your disciples! I tell you, he replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields (Luke 19:39-40). All in all, that s a good model for you and me this week before Easter. You could do no better than to follow the example of those two disciples who-- though they had no way to know what the future would hold and what their actions would bring about--they simply obeyed. and by the way, what about the donkey? The donkey did he had been: Selected By Pre-arrangement

3 vv. 1-3 As they approached Jerusalem... Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." Clearly Jesus has made arrangements to use this donkey ahead of time. It s pretty cloak and dagger actually, the only thing missing are code names. The point is this specific donkey had been set aside for a noble purpose. He is also selected... b. By Prophecy Zechariah is the next to last book in the Old Testament, both Matthew and John quote Zechariah 9:9 as an clear prediction concerning the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. vv. 4-5 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. " 550 years earlier Zechariah had prophesied about this little donkey. God had a plan and this donkey was selected by God to play a part in His plan. And he has selected us too: John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit fruit that will last. Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We have been chosen not only for blessing but for service. You may not be a king or even a Sunday School teacher but God knows you by name and he has a plan for you to serve him, He has prepared in advance good works for you to do. Next, notice with me that this donkey who was selected is... Prepared v. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. The donkey was prepared for the Lord s use and we need to be prepared too. 1 Peter 3:15 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Spending time getting to know the Lord in Prayer and study of His Word prepares us for his use and allows the Holy Spirit to work in us to sanctify us for Service.

4 Finally, to be useful to the Lord, like the Donkey We must be... Satisfied Donkeys are not known for a submissive temperament, it is worth noting that this donkey presents himself to the master to be used. Like him we must present ourselves to the Lord... 2 Timothy 2:15 "present yourself to God" Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God Yes, He has chosen us but he will not work against us he wishes for us to present ourselves to Him, to be submissive to his will in our lives. The Donkey was also satisfied... To Play a Humble part In spite of the importance of the donkey s role in the fulfillment of prophecy, he still plays a bit part. His job is to lift up Jesus so that Jesus can be seen by the crowds. We have a similar role in God s plan, not to be exalted but to exalt Christ. To make him be seen by the world. The apostle Paul wrote... Galatians 6:13 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus warned us in His sermon on the mount not to be like the religious people who did their good deeds to be seen by men, the Good works that the Lord has prepared in advance for us are works that bring glory to his Name and not our own. Like the donkey we must be satisfied with a humble part in God s plan. You know donkeys really aren t all that great. They re stubborn, they re smelly, they re small, not really able to do that much. But Jesus used a donkey in his most triumphant public moment here on earth. He could have chosen a a white stallion outfitted for battle as he s portrayed in the book of revelation. He could have chosen a camel decked out in sumptuous velvets. But he chose a donkey. You may not be a white stallion, or even an old gray mare. You may have never really thought of yourself as a part of God s grand plan, but the Bible says that s exactly what you are. You have been Selected by Him to fulfill a part of His plan prepared in advance for you. To fulfill that role you need to be prepared for his service by separation from the world s evil and commitment to Him And you must be Satisfied to take the role of a servant, fulfilling God s plan for God s glory and not your own.

5 What about me? 2. Feel what Jesus feels (Luke 19:41-44) Something happened on the ride into Jerusalem that we don t talk about too often... In fact for years, I never even noticed that this event was even part of this ride of triumph... It was there all the while, in black and white, but as often happens, I tend to get so caught up in the crowd, the shouts, the emotion, the excitement -- that I let the clear, unvarnished truth slip right by, unnoticed. But I m not alone; in fact, from every indication, the crowds didn t notice it, either. Matthew didn t record it. Mark didn t mention it. Luke is the only Gospel writer who records this event. But don t let it pass you by today. As [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it (Luke 19:43). And on that hillside today is a tiny chapel with a tear-shaped dome that commemorates this moment when Jesus wept for Jerusalem. And the Greek word that is translated wept in our Bibles signifies more than tears; it suggests the kind of soul-wracking, gut-wrenching, teeth-gritting sobbing that a person does at the tomb of a friend. In fact, it is the word used of Mary s sobs at the tomb of her brother Lazarus, of Mary Magdalene s sobs at Jesus tomb, and of Peter s bitter weeping after he denied Jesus and heard the cock crow. So... do you see that picture better now? Jesus wept violently for the people of Jerusalem. Not for himself ; not for the cross that awaited him. But for the fate that would come upon that city. Rather than the joyful shouts and praises That resounded all around, Jesus heard the screams, the cries, the shrieks and groans of the men, women, and children who would die in that city when, as he had prophesied, the Roman general Titus would invade in 70 AD and raze the city and destroy its glorious temple, and brutalize its rebellious people. Everyone else was having a party, and Jesus was filled with compassion for the lost sheep of Israel who didn t even know their own sad condition. That, too, is a good model for you and me this week before Easter. You could do no better than to prepare for Resurrection Sunday by letting yourself feel what Jesus feels, by letting your heart be broken for those who are hurting, those who are wandering, those who are searching, those who don t even know they re searching,

6 But I can tell you what will happen if you let yourself feel what Jesus feels: it will bring a flood of compassion into your heart. Ask yourself: What moves me to tears? So, one way to prepare for this Easter is to do what Jesus says. The second is to feel what Jesus feels. And my final suggestion to you today is to: 3. Tell who Jesus is (Matthew 21:10-11) People need to know Who He is. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, Who is this? The crowds answered, This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee People need to see and hear what He does for you. When Matthew reports that the city was stirred, he uses the word, seio, from which we get our word seismic. It s the same word he used later in his Gospel, in Matthew 27:51, where he said that at the moment Jesus died on the cross, The earth shook and the rocks split (Matthew 27:51, NIV). The city was stirred as an earthquake stirs the ground. That s what will happen if you and I-- if this room full of people--begin doing what Jesus says and feeling what Jesus feels: the whole city will be stirred! That s what they re waiting for. They re waiting to see if there really is a God. They re waiting to see if he really does care. They re waiting to see if the people who fill the churches, and sing his praises, and cry out to him, and claim to know him, to see if those people are any different, if their God can really be trusted, if their faith can really do anything. They re watching you and me, and if they see us doing what Jesus says, and feeling what Jesus feels-- for them- -they ll ask What s going on? What s this about? Who is this? And you could do no better to prepare for Resurrection Sunday than to tell who Jesus is, to find ways to expose your friends, neighbors, family members, classmates, coworkers, anyone for whom you can feel what Jesus feels to the news that we proclaim next Sunday when we tell each other, in the age-old confession of the church: He is risen, he is risen indeed!

7 And I m gonna suggest to you one easy way to begin to do that, to tell others who Jesus is. Next week, in our Easter Sunday celebration, I m going to be presenting why the Resurrection matters. So here s my challenge, but I issue it only to those of us who follow Christ, whose lives have been changed, and who believe he can change others lives just as he did ours. There is someone around you who is sincerely wondering Who is this? They honestly don t know, but they re willing to find out. Do you know that surveys indicate the majority of people who don t attend church, who haven t experienced new life in Christ, give the same reason when they re asked why. They say, No one ever asked. Your mission, if you would prepare for Easter in a way that will bring a smile to God s face and true and lasting joy into the lives of others, is to find that person... and invite him or her to be your guest to a new church that s gonna talk about the resurrection of Jesus in a way that s designed to answer their questions without condescending, without condemning, without pushing or pressuring them... And when that happens, guess what may just happen next? The same thing it did for many in that Palm Sunday crowd: It will bring joy to others, when they discover Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee, the Messiah of God, the Risen Christ. I can t tell you who they are; but God knows, and you probably do, too: your neighbor, your colleague, your roommate, perhaps; maybe a brother or sister, a mother or father, maybe a close friend maybe a casual acquaintance who hasn t yet experienced the forgiveness, the deliverance, the peace, the freedom that comes when you experience new life through faith in Jesus Christ.